Funny ending to a Sambar hunt

[Chrispryn]

Writing from Australia.

Our holiday so far has been fantastic, catching up with family and friends. Our Dear Edith (4.5 months old) has found herself in hot water with Tonsillitis! Poor little thing is in some pain and does not like to swallow or feed. The local doctor has her on antibiotics for the rest of the trip.

We spent the last 2 days up north visiting friends. My mate Phil and I managed to sneak away Wednesday morning to stalk some Sambar Deer in his local hills. Phil's hunting grounds are mostly state forest and receive a lot of pressure from hound hunting crews and unfortunately a lot of poachers! Hunting mid week we knew we would have the place to ourselves.

Our target area was one of dozens of short (2km) drainages from the higher elevations down to a small river. Without rain since Christmas, the forest floor was noisy and very difficult to stalk in.

Immediately we were amongst deer sign, nothing terribly fresh until we were about 1 km from the road we entered on. We then found very fresh rubs and poop. Shortly after, our silence was interrupted by heavy rustling in a bedding area. The blood was pumping and Phil was ready for a shot at the deer ahead. We did not see the deer as it moved from the bedding area down onto the next drainage. We removed our boots and stalked ever so quietly in our socks. All the while listening to our quarry rustle up a storm in the dry fallen leaves.

Without warning our prey falls quiet. Slightly confused we take some time to gather our thoughts and hatch a new plan. Just as we set off to get the stag from his bed, the rustling resumes, this time with some serious gusto. The noise is coming from over the next ridge. That explains why the noise had died off minutes earlier.

We can hear the footsteps of a running deer and what sounds like a fawn in distress. (Its perfectly legal to harvest a hind or fawn in this area to help with herd management). I assume a wild dog is chasing these deer right to us. I instruct Phil to load a round and be ready for the shot. I take a knee next to Phil and cover my ears in anticipation for the deer to show itself over the hill. This is all a very intense moment as we wait excited and anxious for the moment we have been chasing all morning.

And there it is, all in an instant. Two lyrebirds! Known for imitating any noise they have ever heard (including car alarms). These two birds had us hook, line and sinker!!

Not quite the result we had hoped for, but very funny nonetheless. The rest of the day was uneventful by comparison.

Who else has ever been duped out in the woods?

Chris Pryn

[ajr5406]

Ha ha. I love lyrebirds.

Where in australia are you from? I grew up on NSW central coast.

[Ferenc]

Liar birds hahahaha ..... I’m sitting overlooking the blacktail “knoll” enjoying the story ... one yogi waiting fer ya up the hill.... send some pics when ya can ... sorry to hear about the little one ... today is a clear breezy day here greening up pretty good.

[Chrispryn]

Keep that bear safe for me ferenc. I'll be back in a week for him haha

Pics and success story to follow

[Chrispryn]

After the humiliation the lyrebirds caused us, we were determined to get a stag in the freezer even more than before.

I left Phil up North as we needed to head back towards Melbourne for the little one. (Phil managed quite fine without me, he and his partner got a nice hind for the freezer yesterday).
Now hunting with a mate I grew up, we also got into hunting together. He was there when I shot my first deer and he busted his ass for that deer. We worked long into the night packing the quarters out of a hideous gully that was even too steep for vehicle access despite been an open grassy hillside.

Many year later and a few too many international flights, I was able to finally repay the favor. Back on the same range as the little stag I shot previously, we arrived Friday night to the very lush hut that has been built near by. Steaks, sausages and potatoes for dinner. Washed down with a few VB before an early bedtime. Up the next morning at 5am, allowed us ample time to get some oatmeal and a coffee into us before the sun started to break over our target hillside.

We parked the vehicle about 1km from where we intended to glass from. it was light enough to see shapes and movement with the naked eye but binos were needed to make out any detail. We spooked numerous Kangaroos as we crept into our glassing area. The third hunter left us and split into another drainage after he and I discreetly discussed that we wanted my mate to tag the stag on this trip. As we push on, Kangaroos are everywhere and we are convinced any deer must be well aware of our presence. We push the Roos as far as we can before we crest a small ridge and see a big mob of them on the other side. Knowing that trying to get past them will result in chaos and definitely blow any stealth we still have, we park our butts and begin glassing. The sun is just starting to show itself behind us and the view in front of us is just coming alive. Wind was coming up the gully hard so we knew scent wouldn't give us away.

Not too long after we began glassing, we start considering slipping into the thicker trees to still-hunt down the gully. We both notice that something in our field of view has changed, there is a dark spot where there was not a dark spot before. My mate is first to speak, 'right there' he says in a whisper. Binoculars go up and it is a Sambar for sure. Only I can see the head, I try to steady myself to make out any antlers against the branches of nearby trees. Finally I can confirm its a big old stag. He cant smell us but he sure can see us moving our binos up and down. The ugly problem now was that only I had a heart shot, my mate, who has definitely paid his dues and earned this deer, can only see the stags butt and rear legs. Too make it even worse, his rifle was slung over his shoulders and head, so just getting to his rifle was to be a challenge with this timid old boy looking our direction. I just keep the binos fixed on the deer as my mate slowly reaches for his rifle, the deer mustn't be able to see the the movement as he goes about sniffing and looking in all directions. Finally the rifle is off the back and almost ready for use. We just need to chamber a round. As anyone in this situation would know, the sound of your rifle cycling when been watched is amplified to the sound of a car alarm in the middle of the night. The stag hears the noise and flicks his head back in our direction, tail goes up and he takes 2 or 3 steps and exposes himself to the shooter. Pausing to get a different look at the situation above him.

Shooter says to me 'should i let him go?' probably noticing his antlers didn't match his giant body. I say 'No, F### no, he is a cracker'. A few more words back and forth and BANG!

Stag doesn't even register the hit, takes 5 or 6 steps before collapsing in a heap and taking a short roll to a big bedding area. Probably where he was headed anyway before we intercepted him. My mate is ecstatic. Playing it safe he asks me to wait and make sure the stag is out before we head down. We wait a few minutes and radio the other hunter, He is just as pumped as we are and makes his way over to us to help with the field prep. Upon reaching the stag we realize he was dead long ago. A beautiful shot from the 30.06 didn't give him much of a chance. Damn I forgot how big these Sambar are, easily bigger than the biggest Mule deer I've ever seen.

We set about quartering the deer, gutless method! As we inspect the stags teeth we notice he barely has any left, this was an old deer and his antlers were probably on the decline each year. His hide was marked all over in big scars from fghts over his life. It felt great to be given the opportunity such an old warrior. It was even more satisfying to be able to repay that debt from years ago.

The boys will be eating good going into winter here.

https://imgur.com/a/wIcjCoQ

If anyone can post those pics properly Id be very appreciative

Also check out my Instagram and you can see a short film i took in the moment before the shot. You can hear some the words that were exchanged also.

Thanks for reading.

Chris Pryn

[nature girl]

Very nice story and pictures and also nice to help a buddy out.